In like a lion

The regulations, they are a-changin' ....

Starting March 1, on the Rainy River and Fourmile Bay of Lake of the Woods, a catch-and-release season will be in effect until April 14. This will discourage some anglers from making the long trek north. But despite the new regs, my annual Rainy River spring walleye trip will continue as planned.

Two things draw me north. One is just to get the boat in the water. In the dead of winter, I catch myself staring out my kitchen window at my Lund. It stares back, unimpressed. I'm positive it's not excited about being buried in the snow, full of picnic tables and lawn chairs. The Rainy River offers a special opportunity. Because it stretches along the Minnesota-Ontario border, the walleye season remains open until April 14 each year. The ice leaves this stretch each year around the end of March, offering a couple solid weeks of open water angling: a unique situation that draws thousands who have lost patience for spring's arrival.

Secondly the Rainy River run is the year's best chance to land a large pre-spawn walleye. A 30-inch walleye in July can top 10 pounds. This same fish in late March or early April often holds several pounds of eggs, adding to its heft. Over the years, several of my guests have landed their personal best walleyes on this trip. We release all our big walleyes throughout the year anyway, so a catch-photo-and release trip is a perfect way to start the open-water season.

I've made this round trip around 15 times in the last 20 years. I leave Cloquet around 2 or 3 a.m., trying to hit one of the many landings along the river between Baudette and Birchdale a few minutes before sunrise. I fish for 9-10 hours straight and I am usually back on the road headed home by late afternoon. I rely heavily on two techniques to make my limited time on the water worth the long drive.

Most fisherman trying to land a Rainy River giant use a simple jig and a minnow. Some prefer to anchor along the channel's edge. Most are in search mode, using their tiller motors or bow mounted trolling motors to work in and out of current seams trying to keep their jigs close to the bottom.

Depending on water levels, I like to slip with the current. I point my 90 Honda tiller into the oncoming current. Constantly in reverse or neutral, I "chase" my line. I want my jig and minnow to stay as vertical as possible. In this way I work my way downstream, keeping the jig within a few inches of the bottom.

There's a general rule of thumb in walleye fishing. Always use the lightest jig you can get away with. For this presentation, I break that rule and error on the heavy side. I usually use large jigs from ½ oz. all the way to a full 1 oz. Tipping the heavy jigs, I use the largest shiners I can find. I haven't traveled four hours in the predawn darkness to battle an 20-inch walleye I can't eat. I'm here for a trophy-sized specimen, and my six-inch jig and minnow combination matches that expectation.

Additionally, I like to use jigs with a combination of thump and flash to further grab the attention of any migrating walleyes. Northland Tackle's Whistler jig is one of my favorite river jigs. It has a helicopter blade on its collar. This blade constantly spins and flashes in the current. Reel Bait Tackle Co. also has a Flasher jig that accomplishes a similar result with a large willow leaf blade that throws off an impressive amount of flash and vibration.

The second technique I rely on is not used by the masses, but it should be. I run 3-way rigs with crankbaits against the current, inching my way upstream. I use 8-9 foot trolling rods coupled with baitcasting reels for this presentation. The three-way swivel is the centerpiece of this technique. From the rod to the swivel I run 20-pound braided line. The braided line has little to no stretch, allowing me to keep in constant contact with my offering. From the "bottom" side of the three-way swivel, I tie a dropper line of 12-18 inches. At the end of this dropper line, I attach a 2-3 oz. bell sinker. To the remaining eye of the swivel, I run a 5-8 foot section of fluorocarbon line. Attached to this leader is my crankbait.

Preferred crankbaits are not the deep-diving erratic baits of mid-summer, rather tamer baits that throw off a subtle side to side rolling action. Topping this list is the original floating Rapala. Size #11 and #13 are my Rainy River preferences. Additionally, Rapala Husky Jerks sizes #10 and #12 have been a mainstay of my 3-way rigging regimen. Colors vary year to year, but with the original Rapalas I always start with one natural color and one obnoxiously bright color and let the fish show their preference. My preferred Husky Jerks are from their "glass" series. Glass minnow and glass blue minnow are fantastic.

The key is to keep the heavy sinker at a 45-degree angle and feel your way slowly upstream. The dropper keeps the bait up off the bottom and allows you to troll a crank that wouldn't naturally dive to the desired depths. Hits are often violent and many of my trophy pre-spawn fish have been fooled by this technique.

As the snow continues to pile up as we enter March, we can take solace that the Rainy River spring run is only a few short weeks away. I've already started prepping my jigging rods, sharpening hooks, tying my 3-way set-ups. Unfortunately, it's my Lund I'm worried about. I fear it will still be stuck in the snowbank when I need it most.

Hopefully March will keep with tradition. In like a lion, out like a photo of a monster pre-spawn Rainy River walleye.In like a lion

Bret Baker is a lifetime resident of Cloquet. He is a proud husband, father, educator and outdoorsman. Bret began guiding fishing trips when he was 16 years old. Today, in his 40s, his passion is to introduce people to the tremendous outdoor adventures available in our region.